Baseball season is just around the corner. This seaon for the Red Sox… let’s face it, it’s going to be terrible. It won’t be as bad as last year, but don’t expect the Red Sox to make the postseason. The Red Sox are in rebuild mode. For the time being, Red Sox fans should just enjoy the season, or the past season Boston has had. Today’s I’m bringing you a fun Friday article on a Wednesday. Why am I doing this? Why not? Let’s have some fun when it comes to the Red Sox. Here are my top five favorite Red Sox players of all time.

5. Mookie Betts

Pain. I know it was going to be a longshot that Mookie would stay in Boston, but still it hurts not seeing him in a Red Sox uniform. However, I’m happy he got another ring last season. Mookie without a doubt is one of the best outfielders in the game. What he did for the Red Sox at the plate and in the outfield is something I’ll never forget. I mean, he won the AL MVP in 2018 (the last time the Red Sox were good.) Despite him wearing Dodger blue, he’s still one of my favorite players in the MLB and his time in Boston will forever be remembered.

4. Jason Varitek

The captain. Tek is a legend in the City of Boston. From his batting stance to him fighting the Yankees, Varitek will forever be on this list. Varitek was on of the first Red Sox shirts I ever owned. When he retired in 2011, it was a sad day to see his career come to a close. One day (hopefully), he’ll be in the hall of fame, but with how the MLB decides who gets in (it’s corrupt), it may never happen which saddens me. Varitek showed what it meant to be a true leader, and with a team like the Red Sox, it went a long with with the players, staff and fans.

3. Pedro Martinez

One of the biggest legends in Red Sox history comes in at number three. Whenever Pedro was pitching, I was watching. Seriously, this guy is my favorite Red Sox pitcher and honestly, I don’t think anyone can top him. He was so much fun to watch. I sadly never got the honor to see him pitch live, but seeing him on tv, that was good enough. Even now with his broadcast career with Fox, Pedro is wildly entertaining. There’s no doubt about it, Pedro overall was a fun guy to watch. Also, who could forget the fight between Pedro and Don Zimmer. That was one of the more iconic moments of his Red Sox career.

2. Manny Ramirez

An absolute goof ball that could play baseball very well. Manny Ramirez was a fan favorite… until he got traded. After the trade… that’s a different story, but his time in Boston will always be legendary. The phrase, “Manny being Manny” came to life just because there will never be another player like Manny Ramirez. One minute he’s hitting dingers, next minute he’s making a completely unnecessary cut off. Manny had way too many moments to pick from for being my favorite. Seriously, Manny was a crowd pleaser for all fans of baseball.

1. David “Big Papi” Ortiz

This shouldn’t come to a surprise for anyone. For me, Ortiz was always my favorite, but, his speech after the Boston Marathon bombing, Ortiz cemented the number one spot for me. Nobody will ever top him. Ortiz helped lead the Red Sox to a championship that season with the Boston Strong movement.

As for what he did at the plate, I think it goes with no debate that Ortiz will forever be one of the most feared hitters. You never knew when Ortiz was going to pop a homerun. In the playoffs, Ortiz always came up clutch. My favorite moment (other than the speech he made) was when Papi hit a grand slam against the Detroit Tigers in the 2013 ALCS. It happened in game two which the Red Sox were down 5-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning already down 1-0 in the series. This gave the Red Sox a spark that they needed. David Ortiz will forever be a Boston legend, and an MLB legend. But to me, he’s my favorite Red Sox player of all time and nothing can replace him as my favorite.

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-Matt Burnett (@mattthew_jordan on Twitter)